Walking causes natural compression and release of the sole of the equine hoof. As the hoof strikes the ground, the walls of the hoof expand slightly to allow the frog of the hoof to be compressed. When the hoof is raised, the frog returns to its resting position. This action on the frog of the hoof acts as a secondary blood pump to circulate blood to all parts of the hoof, as well as to other extremities. In many cases, post surgical walking is not only an equine's natural way of healing, but is essential for a horse's recovery and well being. It is often necessary to walk a horse several times a day for days to weeks after surgery. Such exercise can be both expensive and time consuming.
The importance of the hoof as a blood pump is not limited to injury and healing, however. Horses that are transported or stalled, especially in stalls with hard floor surfaces, suffer from lack of hoof and leg exercise. In many cases, owners will stop and exercise their horses as often as every four hours—greatly extending travel time and inconvenience. Although recovery needs be rapid in these hauled performance horses to restore natural circulation of blood to the extremities, and to return the horse to performance condition, horses transported long distances may need significant recovery time to regain peak performance. Unfortunately, attempts to achieve this rapid recovery commonly require the use of excessive medication, including pain killers and legal stimulants.
The present invention provides an equine boot assembly and method that simulates the natural mechanical action of walking and can mitigate costs and ill effects from stalling and transport.